Monday, June 24, 2013

Far Far Away [Book Review]


Genre - Children's Fiction/Teens/Young Adult
Year Published - 2013 (Published by Random House Children's Books)
Length - 212 [digital] pages *Read on the MYeebo App (not recommended)
Written by Tom McNeal

Rating: 3 Skulls

Tagline: "Far Far Away is closer than you think."

Plot Summary:
It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since.
After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, the Brothers Grimm.
Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl, Ginger Boultinghouse, takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings. . .

Book Trailer:
I do not recall having ever bought a book, strictly from a book trailer, however, this one sold me immediately:


Review:
Set in the town of Never Better, is this tale of a shy boy, with an exceptional talent, an outgoing girl, and a ghost from the Zwischenraum (the "space between"). 
The ghost can see, but cannot touch. He can smell, but cannot taste. He can suffer, but cannot weep. He can hasten, but cannot fly. He can rest, but cannot sleep, and he can speak, but cannot be heard, except by the shy boy, Jeremy Johnson Johnson.

It seems that only the troubled remain behind, and the ghost of Jacob Grimm believes that he is the appointed protector of Jeremy Johnson Johnson - protecting him from a dark evil called the Finder of Occasions (someone who lies in wait until the opportunity is afforded to do harm or wreak havoc, without leaving a trace behind).

Will this fairy tale end happily ever after?

What I enjoyed most about this book was McNeal's very visual writing style - extremely vivid - bringing the tale to life, directly in my head.
Recommended for any fans of the Grimm Brothers (tons of history/knowledge about them in this tale), or any fans of fairy tales, in general.

Jason

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